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Re: please explain!!!

What tense should I use if I want to tell something where in I don't know or I'm not sure if that "something" is still true at present?

please explain!!!

(Not a teacher)
Usually you add a certain word to imply the uncertainty. In the "normal" sentence you will refer to "something" true in the past:

"There used to be a train to London every four hours."

Uncertainty in the present:

1) "There is probably still a train to London every four hours." here you use the present tense, as pointed in other posts.
2) "There was a train to London every four hours." - here you state a known fact from the past, but you don't clarify whether the information is still valid. Therefore, the reader remains with the impression that this might not be true at the moment of reading. You use the past simple tense.

Re: please explain!!!

1) "There is probably still a train to London every four hours." here you use the present tense, as pointed in other posts.

You can also use modals may./might/could be a train...

Originally Posted by Siberic

2) "There was a train to London every four hours." - here you state a known fact from the past, but you don't clarify whether the information is still valid. Therefore, the reader remains with the impression that this might not be true at the moment of reading. You use the past simple tense.

The impression this leaves me with is that it is quite likely not to be the case now; I would probably add something like 'and there could still be one' if I had no idea.

PS Mamen, do you think you could go easy on the 'Please explain!!!!' titles? If you use descrioptive titles with a few words relating to the topic, people will have an idea of what to expect inside and they look like repeat posts, which means that some people are likely to skip them or only open one. Many thanks